


Molten Steel

by Mavikiu



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:23:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28774530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mavikiu/pseuds/Mavikiu
Summary: There is a reason why the King is the most important piece in chess. And why the queen is the most powerful. Watch this king and queen find each other and follow them in dark pits when their world is flipped upside down by the forces of magic and evil. Will the magic of love be enough to survive the fights in front of them? Gajeel and Levy in yet another fantasy royalty AU.
Relationships: Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	1. Terya

Chapter 1 - Terya

Behind the mountains of Gthar lies the Kingdom of Terya, stretched from the imposing figure of the jagged, grey peaks of rock in the northwest to the azure sea of Mesirae in the southeast. Albeit small and harsh it bears a certain beauty, fresh and reborn in the spring of life after war ripped deep wounds into its earthly flesh. Lush green forests hide small clearings full of vitality and the mountains let the highest waterfalls of the continent descend into cold rivers that tirelessly carry life towards the sea; filling old scars and covering them in little riverbanks, colourful heathlands and moors. It's a wild landscape, sheep and other cattle left to roam the spare grasslands, abandoned when villages were left in a flash, never to be returned to. Wildlife rules most of the forests, the hills and valleys of the northern regions, as humans have retreated towards the sea, near the capital of Terya, Farkesi.

The Castle of Farkesi can be seen from afar, resting near the shore of Mesirae, on the only hill in a radius of many miles. The tall library tower, as well as the numerous smaller towers and half-timbered upper levels with their rather large windows add a certain delicacy to the otherwise sturdy block of stone. Mirroring the kingdom, it presents itself as modest, yet proud and particular in its own way.

These days, the King of this proud old kingdom faces a few particular Problems.

The last visitor from town had just left and the audience was officially declared over, but the king hadn't left yet. The light that filtered through the coloured glass streamed into the room, illuminating the throne and the ruler of Terya on top of it. The King sighed, twisting his mouth into a sullen scowl. The rumors from around the kingdom spoke of wariness. The citizens knew him only as the warrior Kurogane, one of their strongest fighters, not as their leader. No one was expecting him to become king when he made a name for himself during the war. But now he had to be a leader without any experience and almost no advisors, no wonder his people remained apprehensive. And the damn Flame Emperor had announced his visit for tomorrow.

His scowl deepened. He had an entire kingdom to rule, but now protocol forced him to waste time in this crucial period of rebuilding it for Natsus antics, as if nothing had changed since the time they were just two scrawny little brats glaring at one another from behind their fathers' legs. Finally, he stood, the familiar "klink" of his armored boots on the stone floor filling the throne room on his way to the door. Hoping that a change of scenery would clear his mind he waved the guards off to their well deserved afternoon break and headed down the corridor towards his chamber. He passed a few maids on their way to the kitchen, who immediately shrunk away from him and bowed down. New apprentices, judging from the fright on their young faces and the way they hastily scurried onward after he passed. 

A loud thud reverberated through the castle as the heavy chamber door slammed into it's frame, heralding peace and quiet for the king, who enjoyed the privacy as a welcome change to calm down and relax. He removed the large ceremonial crown from his head, giving his long hair a good tousle before the rest of the ceremonial armor followed the crown into the closet and was swapped with a much a lighter grey tunic.

Few things seemed more ridiculous to him than armor worn for ornamental purposes only. At least it was lighter than a regular one, and he had to admit that he liked wearing the gloves. The only real piece of armor of the set, strong, dangerous, but masterfully crafted as to allow for free hand movement as well as a strong grip on any sword. The tiniest hint of a smile graced his lips when he remembered the previous owner of the gloves, the gruff voice of his father reverberating in his mind. Nevertheless, a second later his brows furrowed, the serious demeanor returned like a cloud blocking out the sun. He had matters to attend after all.  
The wooden floor creaked under his steps, followed by the creak of the bed when his weight dented the mattress. He turned his head towards the huge windows, behind them the lush castle garden and the sea in the distance. For now the view would have to wait. His eyes closed as he folded his arms behind his head and inhaled the fresh breeze from outside.  
First things first - Natsu, the Ruler of the desert country of Chrate. The young man had shared a similar fate as himself, becoming the rightful king at the ripe old age of just 18, but Igneel, the old King of Chrate had passed away far sooner when the boy was only twelve. Nevertheless, he turned out to be a surprisingly good ruler, his kindness and willingness to help his people were greatly appreciated by them so they gladly overlooked his occasional slip-ups.   
A polite knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and he heaved himself off the bed to go open it.  
The large figure in front of him gave a small bow, prompting him to chuckle   
"Come on Lily, you know I don't give a rat's ass about that." 

"Well if you don't do it, then at least I have to keep myself in presentable shape" Lily replied and grinned at his best friend, who now stepped aside to let the castles sword master into his chamber. Lily was what some people would call a relic, residue from old times, when magic and magical creatures were more commonplace. He combined the aspects of both humans and large cats, in his case giving him the appearance of a large panther on his hind legs. 

They walked past the armory and into the kings living chamber where he sat down in a large armchair, gesturing for Lily to sit down on his usual spot on the plush sofa by the fireplace. The nights they had spent together like this, talking, planning or reminiscing had left dents in the respective furnishing, giving no doubt as to who belonged there. "Something's biting you, I can see it" the large cat stated and looked at his king expectantly before he sat down.

"Natsu is coming tomorrow and I ain't got the time or the nerves to deal with him. I wanted to revise the harvest taxes, not duel with Emperor Can't sit still for a minute." he grumbled and Lily snickered at the exasperated tone. Despite having partaken in a few rough battles during his time as king, Natsu was never tired of fighting and Lily knew quite well how energized the Flame Emperor could be, even more so compared to the Iron King.   
"Even more reason to stretch my muscles before all this madness, ya up for a round?" said king asked and stood from his chair.  
"Sure, but I did have something in mind when I came here" Lily answered and after a nod asked, "you see, there is this other Exceed who just arrived in town. You know it's gotten harder for us these days, with people becoming suspicious of other races, especially the more magical ones."  
"Spit it, Lily"   
"I talked to her and she told me she was looking for work and a place to stay for the rest of summer. Can I tell her she'd be welcome here?" he finally asked didn't have to wait long for the answer to a simple request like that  
"Sure thing, just tell Kofu, it's her division after all."   
"Thank you, I'm sure she'll be grateful!" Lily smiled, bowing his head in gratitude.  
"Stop that or I might change my mind" his king joked before they made their way to the yard.  
After they were both sufficiently powered out and sweating profusely under the afternoon sun, both said their Goodbyes for the day and headed to their respective chambers. A servant had noticed the men practice and ordered his Majesty's bathtub to be filled with scented water so he could scrub himself thoroughly before the next day. When he was finished, the giant tub was simply wheeled out of the large glass door, where the water could be released into the garden. Someone had already arranged the clothing he had picked out for the festivities that would start the next day and he let his hand brush over the soft fabric. Of course it was one of his finest Garments, fit to welcome the king of a neighboring country, and also in a rich dark green to give some contrast to Natsu, who would undoubtedly wear something red again. The Iron king frowned at the thought and wandered over to his writing desk. He still had orders to give out after today's audience and he knew he had to do it before the Flame Emperor arrived. The whole country had been preparing for his arrival, the town was beautifully decorated with flowers and colourful banners, showing off its rebuilt vitality. But as such, any orders had to be delivered before the festivities began in the castle and the city of Farkesi and everyones minds would be occupied.

He had to light a candle while working and the moon cast a silvery glow over the garden outside of the windows and onto the last brush stroke. He blew out the candle and stacked the papers for his servants to take when they started their daily duties. After redressing he simply laid on the bed, leaving the covers untouched. Terya might have a cooler climate than the other countries, but summer would always bring heat, especially near the sea so even undergarments made of thin linen were enough warmth for the night. Still, it took him some time of rolling around and staring out into the dark garden before the steady noise of waves crashing on the shore finally lulled him to sleep.


	2. Stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will a certain recluse deal with a stranger in his space?

Chapter 2 - Stranger  
A carriage rolled down the bumpy roads of Terya, while the king found himself stuck in the process of waking up. The tired man yawned and took a sip of tea before shooting a glare at Lily who was trying not to laugh at the bird nest of hair in front of him.

"How are you feeling, Gajeel?" he inquired and handed a plate of food over, a cautionary peace offer as well as a prod to hurry up. The sun was climbing fast and Teryas ruler was in no way presentable.

"I'm too tired for this crap. How am I supposed to last even one day with Natsu in this place? The only thing worse than him is a sneezing fire sprite, but at least they're less destructive and don't try to fight me every two seconds."

Lily grinned at the comparison, knowing full well that Natsu would start much bigger fires than any fire sprite if bored for too long. "I would think that Lucy has calmed him down a bit. At least I hope so."   
"For the sake of everyone in here, I hope so too," Gajeel grumbled and wolfed down the rest of his food. High time to get ready.  
..........  
Gajeel, finally dressed appropriately, received word of Natsus Carriage being sighted and the castle was preparing for his arrival. The Iron King put his ceremonial armor on and donned the official ceremonial crown of the royal family of Terya. A large silver band, adorned with carvings of the mountains and forest on top, decorated with emeralds and opals, an obsidian dragon, the ultimate symbol of strength, watching over all of it.

A weight and flash of green appeared on his shoulder where Kofu, the stern housekeeper of Farkesi castle and personal attendee to His Majesty draped more adornments over the black metal and gave her King a scrutinizing look. 

"Well, am I presentable? Shall I do a pirouette for you, Kofu?" he snickered and shook his arms, making sure everything stayed in place.

"Albeit not blessed with the best manners, you do look quite nice, good choice with the green, your majesty."

"Why, thank you." Gajeel smiled at the old lady, who gave a quick bow and waited for him to leave the room. They made their way over to the throne room, giving them a chance to go over everything one last time, making sure that meals were prepared, pots and pans scrubbed and the maids ready for the coming week. Of course they were, Kofu wouldn't dream of leaving her beloved castle in any other shape than absolutely perfect.

“The room is the same as usual?”

“Rooms, your majesty. The additional guest will lodge in the same corridor as the Imperial Majesties.”

“What additional guest are you talking about, Kofu? In Natsus letter it seemed as though only he and Lucy will be visiting.”

“My deepest apologies, your majesty, but the steward of the palace of Rhyacus specifically requested preparations for another guest in his letter to me. I should have made sure that you were aware of such a thing, please forgive my carelessness.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, I will manage. Well then, are you prepared to welcome our guests?" 

"If you are, then I am as well." Kofu answered and Gajeel nodded, which she took as her sign to position herself in the back of the room. He sat down on the throne and waited, watching the room fill with excited townsfolk who wanted to see the royal couple firsthand.   
..............  
"So, Lucy. You and Natsu are the only royalty I know, I’ve never met a king. What can I expect?" One of said guests asked back in the carriage. Lucy nodded her head and smiled sheepishly "Not what you might think. He is rather…say, stoic if you will. Very withdrawn and sullen. Sometimes I think the life of a bandit or pirate would suit him more than that of aristocracy.”

“A criminal life? I’m not certain if that is reassuring or not. Why do you say such a thing?”

“Talk in town on our last visits had it he was known for being efficient and brutal in battle, as well as violent outside of it, on occasion. Many are still grieving for the former king, his father, as he himself undoubtedly is as well, but some are outright not accepting him. Our visit will hopefully show them that he has powerful support, but he really needs to prove himself as a leader before they trust his decisions.”

"I see, tensions are still high. Should we be careful on our visit then? Do I need to be careful around him? You made him sound really dangerous.”

The woman in front of her fell silent and it was quiet for a moment, mulling the situation over to choose her answer carefully.

“Teryans are cordial, sincere people, but they’re weary of strangers. Even so, their tradition holds hospitality in high regard and no one would dream of even looking at you in any unkind way. If you are genuine and friendly they will warm up to you quickly, so just be yourself. The king is a different matter, but he’s definitely not dangerous, don’t worry. I don’t know him very well, so I’d say…” her train of thought was interrupted by movement on her lap, where her husband had been sleeping for most of the ride.

“Ignore his attitude, he is no bad guy, just really grouchy, like an old man,” Natsu mumbled sleepily, causing the two women to giggle at his description. They startled when he suddenly sat up, now wide awake.

"Alright, we're finally here!" he grinned broadly and put his crown on. Backwards maybe, but a step forward for the scatterbrained ruler. Fortunately, Lucy managed to hold him back long enough to put it on the right way, before they left the carriage together. Loud Cheers from the gathered townsfolk welcomed them and almost no one noticed the blue-haired maiden as she slipped out of the other side of the carriage and made her way into the castle behind the royal couple.

She marveled at the sturdy beauty of the big stone castle, a tall, white tower looming above her. The rural appeal of the half-timbered walls, paired with intricate coloured windows made for a certain feeling of restfulness. It gave her the impression of a giant who went to sleep some hundred years ago and allowed humans to live on him. The scars of war were almost invisible, metal reinforcement blending in with the stone foundations and the damages that hadn't been repaired yet were well hidden behind lush blooming bushes, and colourful overgrown window boxes.  
She let out a small "whoa" when her eyes landed on the enormous wooden entry doors. Incredibly detailed patterns and depictions of nature and humans, the history of the kingdom maybe? What was the most surprising were the metallic inlays, incredibly detailed, almost fragile looking on this very sturdy door, made of a sturdy material.

Lucy noticed the awe of her friend and chuckled. "Pretty, isn't it? King Metalicana made it. The housekeeper told us he loved woodwork and was quite crafty, the people apparently still talk about his carving skills." She explained as the doors opened seemingly by themselves, revealing a decorated hallway and wide wooden stairs. 

"I have never seen a castle like that before. I can't wait to learn about its history!" The women behind her exclaimed excitedly. 

"You’ll have the opportunity soon, I think. Ready?" Lucy asked her best friend and received a smile and a nod. A last brush of her dress and adjustment of her headband, and they ascended the stairs together, Natsu and Lucy first, of course.

................

"Feeling alright?" Lily asked quietly, receiving a small snort "It's a state visit. We lived through a war, Lily." He answered before turning his focus towards the entrance of the throne room.

An announcer by the door named the guests entering. "May I present, His Imperial Majesty, Flame Emperor Natsu Dragneel of Chrate and Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Lucy Dragneel of Chrate." Both of them entered and walked towards the throne, the people gathered around bowing as they passed.

Whispers erupted around the room "That's the emperor?" "Wow, he's really young!" "But really cute, too!" "Wow, Empress Lucy is so pretty!" "They make a good couple!"

"Natsu, Lucy, It's good to see you again. Welcome to Farkesi. I hope you had a good journey" Gajeels booming voice shut the whispers of the townsfolk who hadn't stopped talking when he stood and everyone gave their attention to the two rulers shaking hands in front of them.

Natsu grinned "Good to see you too, Gajeel." Lucy curtsied and smiled at the Iron King. "We appreciate your hospitality."

The announcer spoke up again and everyone's attention went back to the entrance "May I present, Milady Levy de Jardin, head scientist of the Chrate Empire." The sound of soft steps echoed around the room as a petite, blue-haired maiden entered. She was first greeted by whispers as well, not helping to calm her nerves whatsoever. 

“She's pretty, too!" "But she looks really young, almost like a child!" "How is she head scientist of a whole Empire already?" "She must be very smart!"

Again, the townsfolk stopped immediately when Gajeel made his move, walking closer towards his new guest. Teryan tradition required specific greetings for visiting guests if host and guest have not met before, and as such it was Gajeels task, especially as king and representative of the country to approach her separately. 

"Lady de Jardin, I welcome you in the kingdom of Terya and in our capital, Farkesi." He greeted with a short bow of his upper body.

Levy curtsied before him "Thank you, King Redfox, it is an honor to meet you. I will not betray your kindness and hospitality."

"You are our honored guest." He answered with a nod and turned back to Natsu and Lucy, addressing all three of them. "You will find your usual rooms prepared. Kofu will show you the way to yours, Lady de Jardin. If any of you wish to speak to me, ask your personal servant, they know how to find me." He smiled and gave all of them a small nod, which were reciprocated appropriately, before Kofu came over to guide them out of the throne room.

.............

Gajeel returned to his throne and addressed his people "In honor of our guests, a festival will be held in town, I'm sure you are well aware of that. Since I will be preoccupied, this is the last audience for the next two weeks. If you have an urgent request, speak now."

Fortunately, most of the townsfolk were too excited, so there were only two requests, which could be handled by his head advisor, so no one really noticed that the iron king excused himself early and seemed somewhat absent-minded. No one except Lily, of course. The large cat shook his head and followed his king out of the room.

Gajeel headed straight back to his room, Lily following him. "Gajeel, are you alright? You seemed really...not present right now."

"I'm fine, Lily, you can stop being a mama cat. I just didn’t know there would be a third person until Kofu told me earlier."

“Oh, I knew I forgot something! Sorry I didn’t tell you, I was too preoccupied with helping Shagotte.”

“It’s alright, I’ll kick your ass for it when we train the next time, but I’m good for now, just need some peace and quiet.” 

"Alright, tell me if something bothers you." Lily gave his friend a pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks for looking out for me. See ya at dinner." With that, Gajeel took a turn and soon reached his chambers. He took the large crown and Gauntlets off, before peeling out of the seemingly endless layers of ceremonial garments, leaving him in a still presentable, albeit much lighter outfit. He sat down in the armchair and looked out into the garden, mulling over how he would survive the next week.

He shared a strong bond with Natsu, so he wasn't worried about his behavior around him, Natsu himself wasn't exactly the definition of well-mannered either. Lucy was married to him, she was used to not having to follow protocol most of the time and they knew each other well enough. No, it was the scientist girl who was giving him a headache. The stranger.   
The time of grief following his father's passing had left deep scars in his self-esteem, his outbursts and violent behavior leaving him deeply afraid of scaring people off, especially now when half of his citizens still didn’t trust him. He stood abruptly, opening his windows and breathed the fresh air to calm his nerves, flash backs of the past war and his own, brutal self crashing down on him. Pictures of blood and red hot anger danced in front of his eyes while he felt his chest getting tighter with every, too fast heartbeat.

Since the window wasn't working well enough, he pushed the glass doors open and headed out into the garden, walked around the flower beds, through the herb gardens and passed the vegetable garden to get to his favourite spot.

The soft splashing of the stream guiding him, he brushed past a few low hanging branches and bushes. He finally reached the little clearing and sat cross legged down beneath the willow tree next to the small waterfall of the stream. The world went dark and clear at the same time when he closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the water mixed with the rustling of the trees, the panic slowly ebbing away, like waves on a beach, retreating back into the sea.

When he felt like he could grasp his thoughts again, he used some of the breathing techniques his father taught him during combat training until he felt calm again. "Thanks, old man." He mumbled and dipped his hand into the stream, feeling the cool water flow around his fingers.  
His gaze wandered out towards the sea, where he noticed the colourful sky, beautifully painted in rosy orange and a subdued blue, reminding him how late it had gotten already. A rustle in the grass alerted him and he snapped his head towards it, wondering what it could be since the servants usually stayed away from the brush. 

A fluff of blue hair caught his eye, and the petite form of the Lady de Jardin appeared. As soon as she saw her host sitting right in front of her, she startled and stuttered "Oh, I'm, I'm s-so sorry for interrupting you, your majesty, it was not my intent to disturb you!" while bowing in apology.

Gajeel, albeit quite startled himself by her presence managed a reassuring tone. "You can relax, milady, I am neither disturbed, nor angered." She cautiously looked up at him and he felt his heart stumble for just a second when he noticed the anxious look on her face before remembering that she might just be surprised still.   
"How did you find me? Not even all of the servants know of this place.", he asked, genuinely curious.

The woman in front of him smoothed out her dress and answered with a half-smile, still obviously somewhat nervous "Your head servant, Kofu was it? I asked her what I could do until dinner and she said that she wouldn't like me to wander around the castle alone, but that I could explore the gardens if I wanted to. So. I explored good, I guess?" she smiled sheepishly and Gajeel stood up shaking some dry grass off of his cape

"Seems like it." He chuckled and walked over to her "Would you like me to accompany you to the dining room?"

"A very generous offer, your majesty, but alas, in my haste to quench my own curiosity, I haven't had time to freshen up yet and would like to be presentable for dinner. I would take you up on your offer if it included accompanying me to my room, though, because as it stands, I'm not too sure where it was located."

Gajeel couldn't supress a chuckle at the sheepish look she gave him at this revelation and extended his arm. 

"Well then, the offer stands."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, a huge Thanks to everyone who reads my story!  
> It means a lot and seeing the little Kudos number increase ever so slightly makes me happy.  
> (Edit: you might have noticed that I changed Levys name since it felt too modern for the setting. Jardin means Garden in french so it's somewhat similar, but do tell me if it is too strange!)  
> Again, thanks so much for reading, have a nice day and see you soon!


	3. Expectations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversing with a king. Can't be that difficult...right?

Chapter 3 - Expectations

Levy had trouble controlling her breathing, not to mention the twitching feeling that had her stomach turning upside down and her hands trembling. The startle from finding her host, the KING in such a personal space shook her to her core, and now she held the arm of said king while they walked side by side. Almost losing herself in thought over this encounter and the subsequent feeling, she quickly remembered to watch her manners, falling back on a question she'd had since entering the garden to keep the conversation going: 

"The castle gardens are really beautiful. And I noticed the rich vegetable garden, do you grow your food here?" she asked and looked up at the man who walked at her side, towering over her even though he was simply looking ahead.

"Most of it, yes. Of course we can't grow all of the spices and ingredients that are used in the kitchen, but the castle even has a small orchard for growing all kinds of fruit."   
"Oh, I'm sure that it looks lovely in the spring!" Levy exclaimed and smiled brightly at the thought of beautiful blossoming trees. Gajeel smiled back at her "It does indeed, maybe you visit Farkesi in the spring and can see it. There is also a festival in town, celebrating the arrival of new life after the winter."

Levy's heart started beating faster when the iron king mentioned her visiting again, wondering if he was inviting her and if she should answer accordingly. After not being able to come up with a satisfactory answer she decided to just gloss over the topic by focusing on the other thing he'd said: "Oh, so spring is celebrated? I never really experienced cold winters, I'm sure you know how warm Chrate is all year. Spring isn't any different than the other seasons there," she sighed.

Gajeel seemed surprised at her displeasure "You are saddened by that? I assumed it must be quite pleasant to live in a warm climate. All of the exotic plants, never worrying about being cold. I also know that some places don't have glass in their windows, something I always thought to be interesting." He stated. Levy scrunched her face together, thinking about her answer for a moment.

"Well, it is nice…sometimes. The fact that we only have holes in our walls also means that anything can enter. I know every kind of moth by heart, just because I've seen such an abundant number throughout my life." Gajeel snickered at that and Levy also let a small giggle escape her lips before she continued.

"But, as for the other things… even exotic plants get boring if you see them daily. The pine trees of Teryas northern forests are far more exotic to me than a waterlily or a palm tree. And I like the constant change, the dance of life, death and rebirth that normal seasons bring. Of course I never experienced much of it, neither in Chrate or in Mrithar but I read it in many books. It seems so much more…natural than what I'm used to. I also like it that people arrange their own life after it, especially farmers. I'm quite fascinated by their abilities of knowing when to sow, groom and harvest, simply because climate demands it that way. It has sort of a comforting certainty to it, nature dictating our lives, the same way it did hundreds of years ago." 

Gajeel was impressed by her way of thinking and the deep understanding she had of something so mundane, yet so important. Something she hadn't even witnessed herself, nonetheless. He was about to ask her another question when she spoke up again "Oh no, I hope I didn't bore you, your majesty, I'm very sorry, letting my thoughts run away like that!" She stuttered and let her head hang down, remembering how her parents and the housekeepers in Rhyacus used to scold her for talking too much, telling her it was bad manners to be overly chatty.

"Do not worry milady, it was interesting to talk to you. The change of seasons is such a day-to-day affair that I don't even notice it anymore. Now that I see it from your perspective, I can appreciate it more. Thank you." Gajeel answered matter-of-factly and took Levy's hand from his arm. He bowed down and placed a soft kiss onto the back of her hand. "I believe this is the room we have prepared for you. I look forward to seeing you at dinner this evening." he nodded somewhat curtly, but the friendly glint in his eyes betrayed the stern demeanor.

"Thank you, your majesty, I look forward to dinner as well." Levy curtsied with a polite smile of her own and retreated into her room.

Inside, she leaned against the door and let out the breath she'd been holding. Then she finally let herself draw in way too many breaths. "Oh my Oh my Oh my…! What. What…what in Jhuvaias name was that?"

Heat rose from her stomach to her cheeks, then spread over her entire body until she felt like it was on fire, excitement and embarrassment and so many confusing thoughts gnawing at her. The flash of feelings from essentially stumbling over the king, him offering to accompany her, dumping her thoughts about seasonal changes on him and then finally the hand kiss had her head spinning, her thoughts reeling and her legs wobbly like she'd been hexed by a water sprite.  
She took in a few deep breaths to grasp her thoughts and decided to start freshening up before dinner would roll around, hoping that it would calm and compose her. While washing herself, she recounted the events of the day, from arriving in Terya, to the reception in Farkesi, to the conversation with her host.

Her host. The Iron king. The rumors. Warrior prince Kurogane, a veteran of the civil war at only 22 years old, violent and dangerous, scaring almost everyone in his castle away from him. And although Lucy had told her that he was better now, she had expected to see a sullen, grim man who could never completely shake his violent demeanor, aged by his anger, cold and unreachable.  
Instead, he had been quite pleasant and even welcoming towards her, despite being interrupted by her snooping. 

Admittedly she had been scared by his intimidating appearance at first, the huge claw-like gauntlets, the dark armor, the long black hair, even the piercings, which she knew were quite common around Terya were all very imposing to her. And his build didn't help much. When sitting on the throne, it wasn't very obvious, but as soon as he stood before her, she'd noticed just how massive the man was. Natsu wasn't the definition of scrawny either, the flame emperor was strong and built himself, but even he couldn't hold up to the sheer size of King Redfox.  
Although, she noticed that his armor added to his large physical appearance and imposing presence. She hadn't been intimidated when she met him in the gardens, no armor, no gauntlets, not even a crown. Of course he was still a big man, but the simple tunic and cape just gave him the undertone of royal dignity, a more composed look than that of the war-hardened warrior king.  
One might even call him attractive. Levy blushed at the thought, scolding herself for even thinking of him like that, he wasn't just a simple commoner or townsman after all. 

Her clothes had been unpacked and she went through them to pick a new dress, wearing the same one for a near 10-hour trip was getting to her. She chose a dark red halter top dress instead of the breezy coral one she'd been wearing. It was one of her favorites, comfortable, yet elegant, it hugged her upper body tightly and fell freely down her hips. More fabric layers were added at the hips to give it a more extravagant look without being exhausting to the wearer.

The look was completed with long lace sleeves, which Levy was thankful for, as she wasn't particularly fond of showing off her arms. She decided to do her hair up with a simple clasp and let some strands fall down freely onto her shoulders. She gave herself one last look and smiled. 

Perfect for a first dinner as the guest of a king.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I am very interested to hear what you think, nothing brightens my day like seeing a new comment in my inbox ;) Have a wonderful day <3


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